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Sere Kaniye, Syria– Three foreign fighters named Brian, Benjamin, and Jeremy have joined the ranks of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) in al-Hasakah province, northern Syria, fighting in the front lines against radicals of the Islamic State (IS/ISIS).

Brian Wilson, 34, who calls himself Zagros, is an experienced former U.S. soldier who participated in the Iraq and Kuwait wars. He has come to the Kurdish areas of Syria to join the YPG’s ranks which has been in conflict with IS militants for two years.

Speaking to ARA News, Wilson explained the reasons that led him to join the Kurdish fighters, saying: “Terrorism must end, and if it does not end here, it may worsen and head to my country,” pointing out that this is his personal decision and his government has nothing to do with it.

Regarding the difficulties he faces in Syria’s Sere Kaniye, Zagros clarified that Language is one of the difficulties they face in dealing with the Kurdish fighters, “but we are still able to communicate and work together on the battlefield”.

Jeremy, a 28-year-old former U.S. soldier who has fought in Afghanistan and Iraq, has been given the Kurdish name of Sipan. He talked to ARA News about the high commitment of the Kurdish fighters to the principle of “defending innocents against IS terrorists”.

“Before I joined the ranks of the YPG I’d heard about their determination to defeat IS, but after joining them I was still impressed with their bravery and determination to free these areas from the IS,” Jeremy said.

“Coming to Rojava (Syria’s Kurdish region) and to fight on their side means a lot to me.”

Before coming to Sere Kaniye to join the Kurds against IS, Benjamin, son of an Austrian father and a Tunisian mother, had fought in Kosovo, Ukraine and Somalia.

“I will fight side by side with the YPG against IS terrorists and this is my personal decision. When I saw the Kurdish people exposed to such barbaric attacks by IS terrorists, while the entire world was watching, I decided to fight for justice,” Benjamin told ARA News.

According to Kurdish military sources, many foreign fighters of different nationalities have recently joined the ranks of the YPG and the Woman Protection Units (YPJ) against IS over the past few months.